UK’s ‘Home To The Stars’ On The Market After Having Historically Housed Celebs Such As Johnny Depp

By Alex Jones

A JAW-DROPPING Grade II listed home which has appeared in movie blockbusters, major TV dramas, and served as a set for huge Hollywood stars including Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Charles Dance, has hit the market for a cool £1.3m.

The Dower House, which dates back to the 17th century, is a go to property for TV producers looking for an authentic setting for period productions.

Major broadcasters have filmed at the incredible four-bedroom house including BBC’s award-winning Anthony Trollope adaptation The Way We Live Now and the ghost story Massage, starring Kevin McNally. ITV’s Nicholas Nickleby featuring Game of Thrones star Charles Dance was also filmed at the property.

Perhaps most famously, The Dower House played a starring role in Neverland, a Hollywood production of the life of author JM Barrie, which included the acting talents of Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. More recently, a ‘huge production’ has recently finished filming at the property which is due for release in 2020 but lips are tantalisingly sealed as to what the title may be.

Remarkable photos of the property, which has also been home to well-known conductor and composer Arthur Reynolds, show exactly why the thatched cottage is so desirable for TV and film location scouts. From the chocolate box good looks of the exterior, the cosy-looking inglenook fireplace at the heart of the home; to the rustic country kitchen complete with AGA and stoneware sink.

The stunning Jacobean house is in Buckinghamshire hamlet, Drayton Beauchamp, a hidden community less than 40 miles from central London. It is currently on the market with luxury estate agent Fine & Country for £1,350,000.

Apart from the provision of electricity and a bathroom, the property remains true to its origins, circa 1619, when it was built for the Dowager Lady May Cheyne. According to the British Listed Buildings website, ‘it is rare to find a house of this type retaining so much of its original fittings and finishes’.

Fine & Country are delighted to have the home on their books.

“The Dower House is a wonderful Grade Two listed home and an important local landmark property with much history and unspoilt features abound,” their listing states.

“Believed to have been built for The Dowager Lady Mary Cheyne after the death of her husband Sir Francis of Drayton Beauchamp Manor in 1620, making it of Jacobean origin. The unusually high ceilings suggest the property was built as a superior residence and it has remained unaltered with many retained original fixtures and fittings.

“Due to the originality of the plaster work and décor, the property has appeared in numerous TV and big screen productions, predominantly period dramas. The house was once owned by the well-known conductor and composer Arthur Reynolds, responsible for such scores as ‘1066 and all that’. During this period it was featured in Ideal Home magazine, July 1949.

“There are a wealth of architectural details including chamfered ceiling beams, open fireplaces (one with a bread oven), braced doors and floors of brick in the kitchen and the breakfast room with wooden floors of oak and elm in the remainder of the house.

“The kitchen has an Aga of course and a stoneware sink. The bathroom is an appealing vintage white suite which complements the style of property.

“The accommodation currently comprises two impressive reception rooms and four bedrooms, all of which have high ceilings and enjoy views over the gardens.

“The first floor can be accessed via two staircases and the master bedroom has an ante room, which could be converted into an en-suite or family shower room if preferred.”

The house is also surrounded by nearly three acres of sumptuous gardens and hedges for privacy. A small stream runs through the full length of the grounds featuring a number of small bridges over it and there is an ornamental pond and an established orchard with fruit trees.

There is a hidden garden enclosed by trees and hedging and here, as are elsewhere in the garden, are wooden outbuildings and wired enclosures currently being used as aviaries.

For more  information about the property, please click here.